Dia de los Muerto

ATS Auditorium, Nov. 5th, 8:00 PM

“God pours life into death and death into life without a drop being spilled.”

~Author Unknown 

Performers of Dia de los Muerto.

Dia de los Muerto (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday on November 1^st and 2^nd that focuses on praying for and remembering friends and family who have died.  The holiday is oftentimes confused with Halloween; however Halloween installs a fear of death.  Dia de los Muerto recognizes death as a natural part of human life, and therefore celebrates with food, drink, and parties.

Presented by Internations Week and the Student Organization of Latinos/Hispanic and Allies (SOL), the show consisted of reenactments of four traditional myths found in Mexico.  The legends included; a monster who creeps at night and sucks human blood, a noble woman who drown her two children in order for a man to love her back, a witch who wore vibrant colors to attract children and steal their souls, and lastly the Mexican version of the Grim Reaper.

The four main characters and the speaker of the show.

Covered in face paint and costumes done by cosplay, students walked down the aisles in the auditorium with stern looks on their faces.  Cosplay is a performance art in which the actors wear costumes to represent something or someone specific.  Once on stage, the main character of the myth would find their way onto stage and join the others.  The show also consisted of two solo performances by an SRU dance major and a rapper.

A large shrine was present in the lobby that consisted of a skull, colorful flowers, candles, and a picture of the Virgin Mary. 

The Dia de los Muerto's shrine.

Dia de los Muerto also held an intermission in order to share with the audience Mexican treats.  Pan de muerto, Spanish for bread of the dead, is the bread eaten in celebration of the holiday.  It is a type of sweet roll shaped like a bun.  A hibiscus Mexican hot chocolate was also served.  It is similar to American hot chocolate but contains more spices, a cinnamon flavor, and a thicker texture.  Mexican candies like Duvalin, a frosting type candy that combines two flavors, were also present for the audience members to try.

Dia de los Muerto was in association with the President’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Diversity (PCRED) and the Student Union for Multicultural Affairs (SUMA).  A special thanks after the show went out to all participants, organizations, and Margie Riddell, co-chair of PCRED, for making the event possible.